On Wednesday, August 28, we concluded our CollectiveED summer series, Films for Freedom. We wrapped up the festival with a special screening of the film Hurdle, followed by a Q&A session with the film’s director Michael Rowley, and CfP activist Mai Shahin.

Hurdle is a film that offers a powerful glimpse into life under military occupation. Through the eyes of Palestinian youth, the film showcases how they confront a world of walls, checkpoints, and arrests. Hurdle’s protagonists, Sami and Mohammad, begin teaching the creative practices of parkour and photography to young people in their communities as a means to overcome personal and political obstacles. Though these young men are separated by a wall, they are united in leading the next generation toward freedom and self-determination through creative practices.